Segments in this Video

Meet the Panelists(02:13)

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Former leader of ACT New Zealand, Jamie Whyte, introduces the topic and panelists Julie Bindel, Rowan Kelly, Diane Abbott, and Serena Kutchinsky. The panelists will speak for three minutes about their stance on "real men."

Julie Bindel: The Pitch(03:59)

Bindel does not believe in the concept of a real man or real woman and sees a sharp difference between the concept of sex and gender. Sex roles are social constructs; biology is separate.

Rowan Pelling: The Pitch(05:11)

Pelling feels her household has a certain violent aspect to it because of her children's gender. She quotes Norman Tebbit's examples of "real men." Moral courage is important to her in men.

Diane Abbott: The Pitch(04:58)

Abbott feels she does not have a romanticized view of men. She believes the concept of a real man stems from the economic need for workers that were exclusively men—something that began to die out in the 1950s. Abbott shows the negativity in defining a real man and how it does not benefit men.

Serena Kutchinsky: The Pitch(03:51)

Kutchinsky believes the real man is alive and well but evolving. Feminists blame the real man of today for the crimes of men before him. She cites a study that found too much gender fluidity can be a turn off for married women.

Theme One: What Are the Traditional Qualities of Real Men? (05:31)

Abbott argues that the qualities associated with the "real man" are not negative qualities but that attributing them to men exclusively is wrong. Pelling disagrees with Bindel's notion that gender is unavoidable. Kutchinsky argues that men need role models of masculinity.

Theme Two: Does Society Still Have a Place For 'Real Men'? - Part One(06:03)

Bindel states, those believing in the power of hormones to separate the natural characteristics of gender forget the research suggesting that women do not necessarily have maternal instincs. Abbott thinks patriarchy and gender facilitate unfairness and oppression of women and men. Kutchinsky is not in favor of eliminating gender roles; Abbot thinks it is desirable.

Does Society Still Have a Place For 'Real Men'? - Part Two(07:29)

Pelling states no teacher would say that boys and girls do not naturally behave differently, and that the British male today is metrosexual and difficult to define. Bindel argues that parents assign gender attributes to babes when there is no basis for it. The panelists describe the ideal man of the future.

Description

Being a real man used to be about courage, grit, and determination. But in a metrosexual age of empathy and softness the story is getting blurred. Is the 'real man' a fantasy we should be pleased to see relegated to history along with Marlboro ads, or are these qualities that women still want and society needs?